Deep-water gold-dredge.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

W. GUTHRIE. DEEP WATER GOLD DREDGE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1967.

PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1907 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE mmms PETERS :0, WASHINGTON. u.

No. 870,235. PATENTBD NOV. 5, 1907.

w. GUTHRIB. DEEP WATER GOLD DREDGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

19 m (2 I a I 7 L- I I l I awe puma 1n: NORRIS PETERS'CO., WASHINGTON, n. c.

WARDELL GUTHRIE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEEP-WATER GOLD-DREDGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed April 12, 1907- Serial No. 367,732.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARDELL GUTHRIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Deep-Water Gold- Dredges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to deep water gold dredges, and has for its object the production of a hydraulic dredge and accessory hoisting devices by means of which gold-bearing silt in deep water bodies may be directly stirred and the sand and gold particles given an upward and outward movement. The relatively lighter particles of earth will travel further from the center of disturbance than the heavy 'gold flakes or specks which descend into suitably placed catch basins or bags which are adapted to be independently hoisted and moved inboard as hereinafter explained. It will be thus understood that by the use of my invention it is not intended or desired that all the mud stirred up shall be hoisted, but, only that portion comprising in a measure a concentrated mixture of earth and gold particles.

In deep water gold dredging it is not practicable to pump the soft bottom materials on board by means'of piping, etc., of customary form and arrangement, as no forced jet will effect the satisfactory upward lifting of the gold particles. Furthermore, the widely variant gradations of the bottom render it nesessary that some means of adjusting the apparatus to the depth shall be provided, which effectually disbars the employment of suction or force pumps, or any construction of buckets in chains such as are common in ordinary dredges.

I accomplish the stated object of my invention by fashioning and associating parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 represents a side view of the front portion of a float equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tracks for running the buckets inboard. One form of the buckets is also shown in this view.

4 Fig. 3 is a front view of the float and exhibits the man- -ner of arranging and suspending the tracks upon which the cable cars run.

Like numerals are used to refer to the same parts throughout the specification and drawings.

A float 1 of any chosen description is provided with a boom 2 projecting in an upwardly inclined direction fiom the forward end of the float. At its outer extremity the boom hasa sheave 3. Running over sheave 3 is a hose 4. One end of the hose, being that end beneath the water is connected with the jet nozzle 5, and the nozzle may or may not be protected by the cage guard 6. The oflice of the guard is to first encounter the bottom of the river and thus in a degree prevent the jet nozzle from striking the soft bottom and becoming filled and clogged with earth, or even a stone or other solid substance which chanced to be present.

Ordinarily, as soon as the guard strikes the bottom its impact is noticed by the attendant who is lowering the hose, and the movement is stopped. Thus the actual mouth of the nozzle does not come into contact with the bottom in practice. After passing over the sheave 3, the hose is connected with a pipe 7, leading aft to a high pressure pump 8. It will be noted in Fig. 1 that some slack of the hose is left between the end connected with pipe 7 and the sheave. To preserve this reserve length of the hose the main length of the hose is prevented from descending by means of the cord 9 which is wound up or allowed to unwind from the ratchet winch 10. The end of the cord is secured to an eye 11 that forms a part'of one of the connections 12 of the hose. The purpose of the retained slack is to permit the nozzle to descend into any cavity it makes for itself in the soft bottom as the Operation proceeds, or to adjust the nozzle to minor inequalities of the bottom as the float is moved small distances. When it is discovered that the depth has changed materially, the hose is lengthened or shortened by introducing or removing sections in the usual manner. Upon ceasing the operation preparatory to moving to a new locality, the hose may be wound up upon the Windlass 13 shown in the hold of the float.

In'Figs. 1 and 3 it has been indicated that the jet from the nozzle excavates the soft sand and water throwing it upwardly and outwardly. It spreads in all directions. Some of the lighter particles continue in a substantially horizontal direction, while others, notably heavy gold flakes or grains, are more quickly turned by gravity and descend into catch buckets 14, 15, 16 and 17, having any chosen form and arranged near and about the jet upon the bottom of the river.

After the operation has continued for a while, it is desirable that some observation be taken in order to determine whether or not gold is being deposited, in other words, whether it is or is not profitable to con tinue or to seek a new position. I desire to raise either of the buckets without disturbing the hose or the other buckets. The description of one set of hoisting devices will answer for the four, as the parts are in each instance of precisely the same construction and arrangement. Each of the buckets is attached to'a cable 18 that is wound and unwound by means of one of the windlasses 19 situated towards the after part of the float. revoluble in bearings 20 supported by a cable car 21. The cable passes downwardly through the body of the car. Each car is provided with four wheels 22, and these wheels run in grooved tracks 23 arranged parallel with one another and suspended by suitable hangers 24 from crossbcams 25 upheld by the pillars 26. The manner of suspending the tracks and their arrangement is best shown in Fig. 3.

Naturally, the weight of any bucket and cable would Each cable 18 runs over a sheave 20 which is cause the car to which the; relate to run inboard, were not some means provided to hold the cars at their outer positions upon those portions of the tracks shown as projecting beyond the bow of the float. At the end of each pair of tracks upon which the wheels of a car run, I secure a block 27. The block performs two functions. It limits the movement of the car towards the outer end of the track, and it constitutes a bearing in which re- I volves the pulley 28. A cable 29, usually smaller than the bucket cables, passes over the pulley 28 and has one end secured to an eye 30 projecting from the body of a car, and the other end connected with one of the ratchet winches 81 as illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be understood that as the cable 29 is wound upon the barrel of the winch the car is drawn to the outer end of its track, and it is held there until the ratchet of the winch is released and the cable 29 unwound.

In the operation of my invention, it will be borne in mind that the pump 8 is of such construction as to overcome the pressure at which the j ct nozzle may be located and to discharge therefrom a jet of water of suificient strength to vigorously stir up the bottom material. As already explained the gold particles if any are present will gravitate into the buckets, and

either cf the buckets may be hoisted alone, or all of them may be raised together. Assuming one to be raised, it is drawn up until it reaches the end of its particular track which projects from the bow of the float. To run the bucket inboard where it may be inspected and emptied, the winch 31 that controls the cable 29 relating to the particular bucket is operated and the cable unwound, which permits the car to move inboard, and, at the same time, the bucket descends towards the deck of the float from which it may be conveniently reached.

Having now described my invention and explained the mode of its operation, what I claim is- 1. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of dredging-means adapted to be raised and lowered, hoisting mechanism arranged to act upon the dredging-means, a bucket, and hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said bucket adjacent to the said dredgingmeans.

2. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of dredging-means adapted to be raised and lowered, hoisting mechanism arranged to act upon the said dredging-means, a plurality of buckets, and hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said buckets adjacent to the said dredging-means 3. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of hydraulic dredging-means adapted to be raised and lowcred, hoisting" mechanism arranged to act upon the dredging-moans, a bucket, and hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said bucket adjacent to the said dredging-means.

4. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of hydraulic dredging-means adapted to be raised and lowered, hoisting mechanism arranged to act upon the said dredging-means, a plurality of buckets, and hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said buckets adjacent to the said dredging-means.

5. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of a hose havinga nozzle and adapted to be raised and lowered, hoisting mechanism arranged to act upon the said hose, a plurality of buckets, and hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said buckets separately adjacent to the said hose.

6. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of dredging-means adapted to be raised and lowered, hoisting mechanism arranged to act upon the dredging-means, a bucket, hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said bucket adjacent to the said dredgingmeans, and traveling devices whereby the said bucket may be moved towards or from the float.

'7. In a gold dredge, the combination with a float, of dredging-means adapted to be raised and lowered, hoisting mechanism arranged to act upon the dredging-means, a plurality of buckets, hoisting devices and tackle arranged to raise and lower the said buckets adjacent to the said dredging-means, and traveling devices whereby the said buckets may be moved towards or fromthe float.

In testimony whereof I ai-hx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WARDELL GUTHRIE.

Witnesses Crmnnns H. SrEBBINs, JAMEs A. DAVIS. 

